Australasian Asian Elephant Population 2022

[Jambo]

Man Jai is in an awkward position as he’ll be close to a decade older than the next cohort of calves. Since he has little value at Werribee (he’s directly related to 2/3 breeding cows), I’d be in favour of sending him to Taronga Western Plains Zoo to integrate with Pathi Harn and Sabai - with the view of two or three of them transferring to Taronga Zoo - the third could be exported if Taronga didn’t feel they had the room or management issues arose.

Though Werribee will initially have space to manage the bulls it has, a cohort of bulls born over the next five years ago will form a more cohesive bachelor herd long term. Man Jai’s value to this would be of that of a mentor, but there’s no reason Luk Chai (a well socialised bull) couldn’t fulfil this role as he’s currently doing to Man Jai.

The current plans for Man Jai are to move him into a bachelor group at Werribee. He could possibly be integrated with the upcoming group of males, and be used as a mentor for them; and if this doesn't work out, he could be sent overseas. I don’t see Taronga willing to take on Man Jai, especially since they’ll be expecting male calves of their own, and will have to work that out space wise.

On the subject of Taronga holding bulls, I doubt they’d hold more than two unless they really really need too. The space just isn’t there. They do have the space though to seperate both males from one another if needed, which may come in handy during musth ect.

 

[Zoofan15]

The current plans for Man Jai are to move him into a bachelor group at Werribee. He could possibly be integrated with the upcoming group of males, and be used as a mentor for them; and if this doesn't work out, he could be sent overseas. I don’t see Taronga willing to take on Man Jai, especially since they’ll be expecting male calves of their own, and will have to work that out space wise.

On the subject of Taronga holding bulls, I doubt they’d hold more than two unless they really really need too. The space just isn’t there. They do have the space though to seperate both males from one another if needed, which may come in handy during musth ect.

That makes sense. With Anjalee coming from Auckland Zoo next year, I imagine Taronga Western Plains Zoo will be grateful for all the space they can get to manage introductions.

Even assuming Anjalee’s introduction into the female herd is seamless, it would be advantageous to have a spare paddock to manage introductions for breeding - especially if Pathi Harn is utilised and needs to be seperated from Sabai (Gung could mate with females in his own paddock).

It’ll be interesting to see how soon Pathi Harn is used for breeding. He’s one of only two bulls in the region representing Bong Su’s paternal line and while the preference is to exhaust founder lines, Gung is fast becoming well represented with soon to be five living descendants and a long reproductive lifespan ahead of him.

 

[Zorro]

One of the most important factors on how the future herds in the region will look will be the number of female calfs born in the up coming births.

 

[Jambo]

That makes sense. With Anjalee coming from Auckland Zoo next year, I imagine Taronga Western Plains Zoo will be grateful for all the space they can get to manage introductions.

Even assuming Anjalee’s introduction into the female herd is seamless, it would be advantageous to have a spare paddock to manage introductions for breeding - especially if Pathi Harn is utilised and needs to be seperated from Sabai (Gung could mate with females in his own paddock).

It’ll be interesting to see how soon Pathi Harn is used for breeding. He’s one of only two bulls in the region representing Bong Su’s paternal line and while the preference is to exhaust founder lines, Gung is fast becoming well represented with soon to be five living descendants and a long reproductive lifespan ahead of him.

I’d imagine they’d introduce Anjalee to Thong Dee first, followed by Porntip and Kanlaya and lastly, Sabai. Pathi Harn will most likely be the last elephant she will be introduced too.

With Pathi Harn I’d like to see him being used as a back up breeding bull in the future. He could be used to breed with the calves of Thong Dee and Anjalee in the future. Or, even Man Jai could arrive to be a back up breeding bull at Dubbo, as he is unrelated to all the girls.

 

[Zoofan15]

I’d imagine they’d introduce Anjalee to Thong Dee first, followed by Porntip and Kanlaya and lastly, Sabai. Pathi Harn will most likely be the last elephant she will be introduced too.

With Pathi Harn I’d like to see him being used as a back up breeding bull in the future. He could be used to breed with the calves of Thong Dee and Anjalee in the future. Or, even Man Jai could arrive to be a back up breeding bull at Dubbo, as he is unrelated to all the girls.

Introducing Thong Dee and Anjalee will be interesting as Thong Dee is a small female; while Anjalee, being of the Sri Lankan elephant subspecies, is already quite large. This will make them quite evenly matched versus Porntip who is larger and will have a more dominant position via her role as matriarch.

Socially speaking, the clear hierarchy will be Porntip at the top; Kanlaya at the bottom; and then Thong Dee ahead of Anjalee in the middle, though this is something they’ll have to work out. If there’s any source of conflict, I’m predicting this will be it.

Pathi Harn could a valuable contingency if Anjalee is reluctant to allow Gung to mate, though generally these intolerances apply to bulls in general rather than a specific bull. Tang Mo resisted Gung’s attempts to mate, though this was due to the discomfort of her anatomy first and foremost.

 

[Zoofan15]

One of the most important factors on how the future herds in the region will look will be the number of female calfs born in the up coming births.

Definitely. Werribee will be looking to further build on establishing a multigenerational herd and female births will be ideal. Succession should come easily with reproductively viable cows aged 29, 21 and 12 currently in the herd and new calves (hopefully at least one female) in the 2022/2023 cohort.

A minimum of two cows every decade would be ideal - but three or four to account for mortality would probably be wise during the establishment phase. These numbers could be achieved by breeding two cows in four year rotations, also allowing for bull calves.

Unlike Werribee, Taronga’s zoos have an unbalanced age structure of four cows aged 23-30 and only one juvenile female. Anjalee (15 years old) will help address this, but at least one female calf in the next couple of years would be ideal for long term succession.

 

[Jambo]

Mek Kapah:

I found this interesting abstract on Mek Kapah from 2008:

When a female Asian Elephant with a history of benign uterine tumours became lethargic in January, her keepers checked for physical signs of anaemia and immediately called the vet for confirmation. Even though Mek Kapah wasn’t bleeding externally, an ultrasound confirmed she had internal bleeding at the time of her ovulation. Our veterinarians determined that the only way to stop this potentially dangerous blood loss was to stop her oestrus cycle. In collaboration with Dr. Thomas Hildebrandt from the Berlin Institute of Zoo and Wildlife Research, we trialled a hormone treatment not previously used in this species. This has successfully stopped her cycling and a recent ultrasound has showed that the tumours have reduced in size. Thanks to the team’s ability to collect blood, perform ultrasound examinations, and give treatments with such expertise, elephants in other zoos may benefit from this groundbreaking care, as this condition is frequently found in females who have not produced young.

~~~~~

Mek Kapah had never breed due to the fact that her companion and mate (Bong Su) was a behavioural non breeder.

 

[Zoofan15]

Mek Kapah:

I found this interesting abstract on Mek Kapah from 2008:

When a female Asian Elephant with a history of benign uterine tumours became lethargic in January, her keepers checked for physical signs of anaemia and immediately called the vet for confirmation. Even though Mek Kapah wasn’t bleeding externally, an ultrasound confirmed she had internal bleeding at the time of her ovulation. Our veterinarians determined that the only way to stop this potentially dangerous blood loss was to stop her oestrus cycle. In collaboration with Dr. Thomas Hildebrandt from the Berlin Institute of Zoo and Wildlife Research, we trialled a hormone treatment not previously used in this species. This has successfully stopped her cycling and a recent ultrasound has showed that the tumours have reduced in size. Thanks to the team’s ability to collect blood, perform ultrasound examinations, and give treatments with such expertise, elephants in other zoos may benefit from this groundbreaking care, as this condition is frequently found in females who have not produced young.

~~~~~

Mek Kapah had never breed due to the fact that her companion and mate (Bong Su) was a behavioural non breeder.

That’s interesting and will surely be something for keepers to watch out for in other non breeding cows within the region. As stated, uterine fibroids are commonly found in cows that haven’t produced young - but also cows who haven’t bred for a number of years. Kulab, who will never breed again due to suffering a prolapsed uterus at the age of 10, will be an example of this.

It’s a great shame so many bulls of this era were behavioural non breeders like Bong Su. This article sums up the value of bulls learning from observation: Elephants learn from others

Young independent males often follow older musth males around, testing the same urine spots and the same females that they do. These young males can be seen observing the subtle maneuvering of older males around an estrous female as if they are learning by watching. Successful mating by males of estrous females requires considerable skill, some of which may be gained through watching the behavior of older, more experienced males. Musth males are surprisingly tolerant of these youngsters. Joyce Poole found that musth males who were guarding an estrous female would allow these young males to stand less than a meter from their mate while keeping older males at tens of meters distance.

Luk Chai observed his father mating with females from the age of two at Taronga Zoo, which has clearly contributed to his reproductive success.

Hopefully being deprived of this experience at Melbourne Zoo during their early years hasn’t deprived Ongard and Man Jai. I understand Ongard exhibited some mounting behaviour; but as noted, successful mating in this species is more complex than simply mounting the female.

 

[Hyak_II]

I suspect Man Jai will likely make for a very successful breeder if given the opportunity. He’s grown up in a fairly good social environment, plus has Luk Chai as mentioned. Happily asians do seem to be the more tolerant of the two species for growing up in less than ideal social environments but still being able to breed naturally (that is one of the main aspects I find differ between Africans and Asian’s, African bulls seem to be much more sensitive to early poor socialization leading to males becoming behavioural non breeders once they are sexually mature). Of course you always get the odd individuals like Bong Su who simply never figures it out, but many times a transfer of facilities or bringing in new cows can stimulate a once non-breeding bull into breeding behaviour yet again.

 

[Zoofan15]

Auckland Zoo Export Update

Anjalee will be sent to Taronga Western Plains Zoo in early March.

Burma will be sent to Australia Zoo in late April.

These will likely be New Zealand’s last elephants - 99 years after the first elephant was imported by a New Zealand zoo (Jamuna).

Wellington Zoo phased out the species in 1985 due to space; and Hamilton Zoo and Orana Wildlife Park can’t afford to hold this species.

 

[Zorro]

Auckland Zoo Export Update

Anjalee will be sent to Taronga Western Plains Zoo in early March.

Burma will be sent to Australia Zoo in late April.

These will likely be New Zealand’s last elephants - 99 years after the first elephant was imported by a New Zealand zoo (Jamuna).

Wellington Zoo phased out the species in 1985 due to space; and Hamilton Zoo and Orana Wildlife Park can’t afford to hold this species.

I always hoped AZ would make a real go of having a elephant herd but the one leg only in the door approach was never going to work in the long term

 

[Zoofan15]

I always hoped AZ would make a real go of having a elephant herd but the one leg only in the door approach was never going to work in the long term

So true. Being able to hold a bull on site (they originally planned to import Gung) would have been a huge advantage as logistically, doing AI on Anjalee was a nightmare and unsuccessful over several attempts.

It’s a great shame Auckland Zoo were never able to secure funding by the council to establish a double figure herd.

Many (including a vet who previously worked for Auckland Zoo) have cited expense as a driving factor in this export (in addition to the reasons Auckland Zoo have outlined), which along with the phase out of the hippos will alleviate the financial pressure on the zoo and allow them to focus on other areas i.e. the South East Asian precinct.

 

[Zorro]

So true. Being able to hold a bull on site (they originally planned to import Gung) would have been a huge advantage as logistically, doing AI on Anjalee was a nightmare and unsuccessful over several attempts.

It’s a great shame Auckland Zoo were never able to secure funding by the council to establish a double figure herd.

Many (including a vet who previously worked for Auckland Zoo) have cited expense as a driving factor in this export (in addition to the reasons Auckland Zoo have outlined), which along with the phase out of the hippos will alleviate the financial pressure on the zoo and allow them to focus on other areas i.e. the South East Asian precinct.

I guess the hippos were eating to much hay

 

[Zoofan15]

I guess the hippos were eating to much hay

Haha I think their downfall was the pool they lived in. It became a nightmare to keep clean. Shortly before the deaths of Faith and Fudge, the zoo did an interview speaking about the challenges of dealing with the effluent run off. If not maintained properly, it had the potential to pose a health hazard to the hippos.

The pinnipeds are also being phased out. I don’t know the reasoning, but would imagine the filtration costs of an even larger volume of water would have been a driving force. Exhibits filled with grass are a lot more cost effective!

 

[Swanson02]

Auckland Zoo Export Update
Anjalee will be sent to Taronga Western Plains Zoo in early March.

A sad year for the Kiwi zoological community . I really hope that Anjalee does not transmit any odd strain of EEHV to either Sabai or young Kanlaya, I'm sure she won't though, assuming that if any test was performed it produced good results.

I also fear this 'one leg in the door' style of elephant management undertaken by Auckland over the past two decades is currently being practiced by Australia Zoo. Who seem very relaxed in their attempt to import a Sumatran bull and form a breeding herd. Potentially just content with only being holders of Elephants.

 

[Zoofan15]

I also fear this 'one leg in the door' style of elephant management undertaken by Auckland over the past two decades is currently being practiced by Australia Zoo. Who seem very relaxed in their attempt to import a Sumatran bull and form a breeding herd. Potentially just content with only being holders of Elephants.

I share your fears re. Australia Zoo. Taking in Burma made little sense if their intention is to develop a breeding herd and makes me think their intention is to hold a non breeding herd of female elephants. I can see Permai joining them upon Tricia’s passing.

I’d like to be proved wrong, but visitors to Australia Zoo have already been told they “probably” won’t be breeding from the older two Sumatran cows - aged 20 and 22.

 

[Yassa]

It is useless to test Anjalee for EEHV because she is most likely a carrier of the virus, like every adult elephant! EEHV is long present within the Taronga herd, since all their adult elephants are surely carriers of one or serveral strains as well. Calves usually die from strains that circle in their family since many years, and deaths of calves usually happen even if no transfers have taken place for many years.

 

[Zorro]

I share your fears re. Australia Zoo. Taking in Burma made little sense if their intention is to develop a breeding herd and makes me think their intention is to hold a non breeding herd of female elephants. I can see Permai joining them upon Tricia’s passing.

I’d like to be proved wrong, but visitors to Australia Zoo have already been told they “probably” won’t be breeding from the older two Sumatran cows - aged 20 and 22.

I found it a little odd that they did not bring in a bull with this importation even if they had to bring in one less female it still would in my view be better than no Sumatran bull in the region’s zoos at all. If they had imported Thai/Indian sub species would have been a different matter as there are a number of bulls within the region they could of used.

 

[Jambo]

So true. Being able to hold a bull on site (they originally planned to import Gung) would have been a huge advantage as logistically, doing AI on Anjalee was a nightmare and unsuccessful over several attempts.

It’s a shame Bong Su died right before Anjalee began to be artificially inseminated. Auckland had to use Putra Mas’s sperm, which had to be transported for almost an entire day to reach Anjalee. This would’ve severely affected the sperm quality. Even Melbourne was having trouble wi to getting good quality sperm despite them being half the distance closer compared to Auckland!

It is useless to test Anjalee for EEHV because she is most likely a carrier of the virus, like every adult elephant! EEHV is long present within the Taronga herd, since all their adult elephants are surely carriers of one or serveral strains as well. Calves usually die from strains that circle in their family since many years, and deaths of calves usually happen even if no transfers have taken place for many years.

Every elephant carries some strain of EEHV. It’s just reliant on whether it becomes active in their system. Elephants can carry the virus their entire lives but never be affected by it, due to it lying dormant.

 

[Zorro]

It’s a shame Bong Su died right before Anjalee began to be artificially inseminated. Auckland had to use Putra Mas’s sperm, which had to be transported for almost an entire day to reach Anjalee. This would’ve severely affected the sperm quality. Even Melbourne was having trouble wi to getting good quality sperm despite them being half the distance closer compared to Auckland!

And yet Whipsnades bull emmet was used to inseminate a cow in Israel years ago which produced a calf